had a guy reach out wanting aerial footage of a construction site, progress shots every two weeks, seemed like a solid ongoing gig. we talked for a bit and when i gave him my rate he just kind of went quiet and then said he'd found someone else. the guy he went with is charging like half what I quoted and i dont even know how thats possible unless they dont have insurance or their part 107 or something.

I quoted $275 for a two hour site visit including edited deliverables same day turnaround. is that way off? ive looked at what people say online but the range is so all over the place. some people say charge $150/hr some say never go below $500 for commercial work. i genuinely dont know if i lost this job because im too expensive or because the other guy is just doing it illegally cheap. starts to feel pointless if anyone with a mavic and no license can just undercut you

ugh this is so frustrating and honestly pretty common especially in construction. the bottom of the market is full of people flying without 107 or insurance and clients dont always know or care about the difference until something goes wrong. your rate honestly doesnt sound outrageous to me, same day turnaround alone is worth something.

what sometimes helps is not just quoting a number but explaining what's included ? like specifically mentioning you're fully insured, part 107 certified, and that they get licensed commercial footage they can actually use without liability risk. frame it as protection for them not just a service. some clients especially on job sites care about that because their GC or insurance might require it anyway. wont win every job but it filters out the ones who were never gonna pay properly

same day turnaround on edited footage sounds brutal tbh, are you building that time cost into the price? editing takes forever and if youre rushing it to deliver same day thats basically half your day gone. might be worth offering a 24-48hr delivery as standard and charging a premium for same day, that way you're not killing yourself on every job and clients who actually need it fast will pay for it